Railway signaling system.



A. RIOUX.

RAILWAY SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED mun. 191s.

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UNITED STATEg PATENT @FFTQE.

ALPHON' SE RIOUX, 0F NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOSEPH RICHARD, OF NASH'UA, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

RAILWAY SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, 191 7.

Application filed .Tune 2, 1916. Serial No. 101,373.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALPHoNsn RIOUX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nashua, in the county of Hillsborough and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Signaling Systems; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which is appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to sectional conductors whose sections are connected; and, as hereinafter described, the object of the invention is to employ such a sectional conductor in a third rail system of electric signaling. More specifically, it is my purpose to divide the main track rails into blocks and to provide between them a continuous trolley rail or more properly a light third rail which is thoroughly insulated from the main track rails while the system is intact and which is used only for the transmission of a signaling current and not for the transmission of power current such as necessary for driving a motor to propel the train. Means will also be provided for short circuiting onto the main rails the parts of any third rail section which becomes broken. The following specification sets forth one manner of carrying out my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the construction of the meeting ends of two third rail sections, and illustrating diagrammatically a car wheel and its plow and shoe; Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a diagram partly'in perspective showing how the air brake mechanism can be actuated in a manner hereinafter more fully described.

The main or track rails are shown at R, and on them travel the wheels W which support the motor car of a train T. Said car carries a plow P which has a shoes to travel on a third rail. A designates diagrammatically the air brake mechanism. These parts are well known and need no further description.

Coming now to the details of the present invention, there is mounted on the ties and preferably between the rails R an insulating base-board 1 from which rises a hollow guard 2 having at its top a slot 3 through which passes the plow P or shoe S as best seen in Fig. 2, and within said guard is disposed a guide 4; slotted longitudinally as at 5 to form a support for the trolley rail or third rail 6 which is preferably of T- shaped cross section with its shank lying in said slot and its head overlying the guide and preferably rounded slightly so that the shoe may make a good contact therewith. The conductor rail 6 is suitably insulated from the track R by the ties and base-board, or otherwise. The guide may be continuous, but the rail 6 is in sections as indicated in Fig. l, and each end of each section is slotted as at 7 for the reception of a pin 8 so as to prevent the section from rising out of the slot 5 in the guide 4 while permitting it to move longitudinally therein. Between the spaced ends of adjacent sections there is mounted a contact block 10 electrically connected by a wire 11 or other means with the main rail R opposite to it. Coiled springs 12 and 13 are electrically connected at 14L to a common point on the tie or baseboard 1 beside or beneath this block and lead in opposite directions to pins or other electrical connections 15 and 16 on the contiguous rails 63. There are such springs at both ends of each section tending to pull it in opposite directions, as the slots 7 and pins 8 will permit, and under ordinary conditions the springs counterbalance each other so that the sections are not moved and their extremities are spaced from, and are normally out of contact with, the blocks 10 as seen in Fig. 1. Thus the sectional flexible conductor 6 is electrically continuous and may form one element of any suitable electric system not necessary to be shown. When now any section becomes broken, it is obvious that the springs will move its parts asunder, and each broken part will be drawn into contact with one of the blocks 10 and therefore thrown into electrical connection with the adjacent main rail B. through wire 11. Any signaling or other current which is supplied to the secman tional rail will of course now be interrupted and automatically diverted to the main track rail by the short circuiting which takes place, thus giving any suitable alarm of such break as by the ringing of a hell or bells at the clock stations. it will be obvious without further illustration that a signaling system employing a sectional trolley rail or third rail constructed as described, may be used in a variety of Ways of which I need suggest only the following: If a current of a certain strength from any suitable source is supplied to the rail 6, it is picked up by the shoe S of every moving train so long as that rail remains intact, and may be used for telegraphic, telephonic, or signaling purpose as may be desired, and in ways which form no part of the present invention; and this may obviously be done whether the main rails are continuous or in blocks and whether the train is driven electrically, by steam, or otherwise. For instance a suitable instrument as bell 22 may beplaced on the train in a circuit including a Wire 20 to wheel W, and a wire 23 to shoe S, to track R, feed rail 6, and to a battery 21 suitably located in the circuit to energize the conductors when a switch (not shown) ata station is operated and closes the rail and track circuit. Or this device may be employed in conjunction with a safety signal system on roads whose main rails are in blocks, by putting the signal in the cab of each locomotive and in a circuit with a local battery, and leading the wires of that circuit respectively to a locomotive wheel and to the plow. Then when the block is clear the locomotive alarm system is not closed so long as the sections of my improved rail are intact and therefore out of connection through wire 11 with the main rail R, and no alarm is sounded. If the block is closed, the circuit may be closed by any suitable means between the track It and rail 6 to energize the local train signal, boll If, however, a section should break and become automatically electrically connected through block 10 onto the main rail and locomotive wheel, an alarm would be sounded in the cab of the approaching locomotive when the shoe S engages the broken rail 6 of any part of the block section.

In Fig. 3 I have shown diagrammatically how a wire 20 may lead from the wheel W through a local battery 21 to a bell 22, and thence another wire may lead to the plow P. I have also made use of this view to show how one of said wires may be led through an electro-magnet 24; whose armature 25 is connected with a crank 26 on the valve of the air brake mechanism A within the engine cab, and therefore when the alarm circuit is closed at block 10 and the bell 22 is sounded, the magnet 2st is energized and the air brakes are applied automatically so as to check the movement of the train. This is but one of many uses which may be made of the alarm circuit, and I do not wish to limit myself in this respect. Thus if two locomotives, each with an alarm circuit of its own, come onto a rail section which is broken and thereby closed at 10, the respective circuit in each locomotive would be closed and the signal given to the engineers.

What I claim is:

1. A conductor for railway systems made in sections spaced apart from each other at their ends, a contact block in such space connected with a main rail, supports in which the sections are slidably mounted, and means for automatically moving the parts of a broken section into contact with said block, for the purpose set forth.

2. A conductor for railway systems made in sections spaced apart from each other at their ends, a contact block in such space connected with a main rail, supports in which the sections are slidably mounted, and contractile springs connecting said sections, for the purpose set forth.

3. A third rail made in sections longitudinally slotted at their ends, combined with a slotted guide in which the sections are movably mounted with their ends spaced from each other, pins in the guide loosely engaging said slots, a contact block in said space and connected with one of the main rails, and contractile springs connecting each two sections with each other.

at. A third rail made in sections spaced apart from each other at their ends, a

, slotted guide in which the shanks of the sections are slidably mounted, means therein for preventing their displacement while permitting their longitudinal movements, a contact block in the guide between the ends of contiguous sections, connections between said block and the main rails, and means for normally urging'the sections toward said block.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a channeled guide, a rail made in sections electrically connected with but spaced at their ends from each other and movably mounted in said guide, a contact in said space electrically connected with a separate conductor, and means tending to move a part of any broken rail in said-guide and against said contact, for the purpose set forth.

6. In a railway signalingsystem, the combination with the main rails, a third rail made in sections and normally out of electrical contact with said main rails, and

means for throwing the parts of any broken nec'ted Within the circuit elements to be section into electrical connection With said energized thereby. l0 rails; of a source of electric energy, means In testimony whereof I affix my signature traveling on said rails to make electrical in presence of tWo Witnesses.

contact therewith, conductors connected to ALPHONSE RIOUX. said means and said source to make a com- Witnesses:

plete circuit when contact is completed by LOUIS GELINAs,

a broken third rail, and a signal device con- MARCEL THERIAULT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

